Last day in Mossel Bay.

Today is our last full day here at Mossel Bay. I’m awake here on my own at 4 am because I couldn’t sleep thinking about how much I’ll miss this place. I feel like I’ve been here forever, and for no time at all.

They’ve had me on recorder for these past few weeks, which is basically the person who opens and closes the strat units, takes all the photographs, does all the paperwork, and keeps everything in order. It’s not excavating, but I do enjoy it because you get to see what everyone is working on and you get to make it around the site instead of just hanging out in one place.

Last weekend I was pretty sick, but I knew it would be my last opportunity, so I came to site alone. I’ve wanted to do so much exploring and, when you are working all day, it doesn’t leave much time for that. Being completely and totally alone after spending the past 6 weeks surrounded by 20 people all day every day felt very strange. I’ve never been unable to be happily alone, but I’ll admit that it was vaguely creepy and I was a little afraid.

Still, it was also totally magical. I clambered over rocks and managed to get myself onto a beach where no one had been all day. It was completely free of footprints, like stepping onto pristine snow. I could just imagine what it must have been like for some early human to step onto that same beach, see the same things I was seeing, and hopefully feel the same sense of overwhelming awe.

The main reason I wanted to explore was because there is a cave, visible from site, called PP 1. It is just across the bay and has been taunting me all season to come and explore. 

Cavernous and huge in the front, it narrows in the back to, what I am told, are passages to other chambers. Alas, while I did go inside, I didn't have a headlamp with me and I didn't feel safe exploring any further on my own. Besides, someone had built a fire at the mouth of the cave, so someone had been living in or hanging around it recently and I didn't want to be caught in a bad situation.

On my way back I was looking for pretty shells when something caught my eye. It looked like a piece of plastic or trash, but when I got closer I could see a swirl that looked pretty shell-like. When I picked it up it was crazy thin and obviously organic, but I was stumped. I decided to bring it back and when I showed Jamie her eyes lit up. Apparently what I found is a rare shell from a Paper Nautilus.

They're so frail that they mostly break apart before reaching the shore, so it's hard to find one intact. I have no idea how I'm going to get it home without breaking the hell out of it, but I'm sure going to try. I'm also told they're good luck.

This event, of course, sparked in me an obsessive need to hunt shells, and I've been doing it ever since on my half hour lunch breaks. I have found some pretty amazing stuff! Some of the things that the ocean produces every day are just breathtaking.

On Wednesday night a few of us stayed behind with Erich, who co-runs the site with Curtis, to do night photography. This means we got to be in the cave at night. With no lights on. While Erich told us true-life ghost stories from when he used to hunt ghosts. It was freaking awesome. When we were leaving, we looked back to see the waves rolling in and glowing green. Bioluminescent waves. Seriously, how could this part of the world get any more beautiful?

I'm exhausted, and I'm ready to be home sleeping in my own bed, petting my own cat, hanging out with my friends and parents and fella, but I sure am going to miss this place. Legitimately, this has been the hardest and most demanding thing I have ever done and I am so glad I did. I'll try to update once more before I head home, but it won't be from here and that makes me sad. I'll just have to try and appreciate every moment of today and start planning for the next big thing.

See you all soon.